The More The Merrier

After weeks of speculation, Newt Gingrich announced at the end of last week that he would not be putting his hat in the ring for the Republican nomination for President. Well, it was a crowded field anyway. Though I had no intention of voting for him, I was a little disappointed he would not be entering the race.

We have a large number of people seeking nomination for President. Six significant contenders for the nomination for the Democrats and about ten Republicans contenders on the other side. I love it! When we have more candidates, it is easier to get more issues discussed in a public forum. I think it increases the probability we will see meaningful dialog.

Before we know it, the earliest primaries and caucuses will be upon us. We can expect the numbers of candidates to plummet immediately after that. Some may endorse one of the other candidates. Some may hold out hoping to use their endorsement as some sort of bargaining chip. It largely depends on how important they feel that endorsement might be and what their ambitions are. Six months from now, it will largely be over.

That normally leaves a large span of time between the recognition of the inevitable nominees and the conventions. That is also normally a dead time in terms of public interest. It really should not be. There is no point when the people have more input in our government than in elections.

My preference would be to have the type of large fields of candidates that are only slowly sifted to finally arrive at the final nominees. That might engage the public in politics for a longer period. But all these states maneuvering to make their own selections earlier than ever works against that.

But for now, anyway, the election game is on. Enjoy it while you may.

That's my two cents.

Wade Houston
September 30, 2007